Rahm Emanuel

Rahm Emanuel was sworn in as the 23rd White House Chief of Staff on January 20, 2009. He was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 2002, and prior to that, served as a senior White House adviser under Bill Clinton. The legendary fundraiser and political attack dog is also credited with playing a major role in the Democrats' seizing a House majority in 2006.

Appeal

Known for his combative style and notoriously blunt manner of expressing himself, Rahm Emanuel is also a master of the art of persuasion who has smooth talked donors into contributing tens of millions of dollars to numerous high-level campaigns. Women who are turned on by powerful men who go after what they want without worrying about who may get in their way might actually find this political dynamo alluring, despite his far from pin-up boy looks. Considering that he's participated in triathlons, the guy has great physical stamina as well, which means he'll have plenty of energy left to burn after a long day of political wheeling and dealing. He may not be as towering a figure as his boss Barack Obama, but his given name means "high" or "lofty" in Hebrew, and Rahm Emanuel's record of accomplishments demonstrates that he's definitely living up to that description.

Success

Nicknamed "Rahm-bo" for his reputation as an in-your-face maverick, Rahm Emanuel emerged as a highly persuasive member of the New Democrat Coalition and unbeatable political fundraiser during the months leading up to the election of Bill Clinton in 1992. As director of Clinton's campaign finance committee, Emanuel's tireless crusade raised a then-record amount of $72 million, and proved crucial to the Democrat victory. He was named a Senior Adviser to the President for Policy and Strategy before embarking on a short-lived, though highly lucrative career as a Wall Street investment banker. Rahm Emanuel defeated his republican opponent to win a seat in the House in 2002, and as chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, his efforts were instrumental in the 2006 democrat takeover of the House following 12 years of GOP domination. Elected chairman of the Democratic Caucus that same year, Emanuel copped a high-ranking post in Barack Obama's administration in 2009. Something tells us that despite his already impressive resume, Rahm Emanuel's political aspirations have yet to be completely fulfilled.

Rahm Emanuel Biography

Rahm Israel Emanuel was born on November 29, 1959, in Chicago, Illinois. His father was a pediatrician and his mother a psychiatric social worker. He took ballet lessons during his youth, and although awarded a scholarship to the Joffrey Ballet, he opted for the Liberal Arts program at Sarah Lawrence College. He continued on to Northwestern University, from where he earned his Master's degree in Speech and Communication in 1985.

rahm emanuel kicks off his political career

Rahm Emanuel began his career in politics as a congressional campaign volunteer while at Sarah Lawrence, and later joined the consumer rights organization Illinois Public Action. He worked on the 1984 campaign that saw Democrat Paul Simon elected to the Senate, and was named national campaign director for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee in 1988. The following year he became chief fundraiser for Richard M. Daley's successful bid for the Chicago mayor's office.

In 1991, Rahm Emanuel was appointed finance committee director of Bill Clinton's presidential primary campaign. Following Clinton's White House victory, he was named Assistant to the President for Political Affairs, and later, Senior Adviser to the President for Policy and Strategy. He resigned from that post in 1998 to work as an investment banker at Wasserstein Perella. In 2000, Rahm Emanuel was selected by President Clinton to sit on the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation's board of directors.

rahm emanuel runs for public office

In 2002, Rahm Emanuel successfully ran for Congress. Running in Illinois' 5th District, he defeated Republican candidate Mark Augusti for a seat in the House. The following year, he joined the Financial Services Committee. In 2006, he became chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, and emerged as a key player in the Democrats' triumphant campaign to gain a majority in the House. In 2007, Rahm Emanuel was elected Democratic Caucus chairman, the fourth highest ranking member of the House Democratic Leadership.

Although he stated in 2006 that he would back Hillary Clinton if she ran in the 2008 Democratic primaries, Rahm Emanuel remained neutral when then-Illinois Senator Barack Obama entered the race in 2007. Emanuel eventually threw his support behind Mr. Obama, shortly after the final primaries in June 2008. He was awarded a cabinet position that November, two days after Barack Obama's historic victory. In January 2009, Rahm Emanuel began his tenure as White House Chief of Staff, and has been at the forefront of the administration's efforts to restructure health-care system policies and advance green energy programs.